Companion
by SilverDemonWolf426
Summary: When intimacy with one's Pokemon is expected, how do you determine which one is closest to your heart?  Sillier than it sounds.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Author's Note: Gods, I have no idea how long it's been since I wrote fic. Four or five years, at least. And when I look back on what I wrote then, it makes me want to chop off my own fingers in shame.

Anyways, this is just an idea I had that I felt like writing out. If I get enough of a positive response, I might continue it. Hell, if Dai beats me over the head enough, I might continue it without the positive response.

Granted, Dai would beat me up anyways, since she has made it clear that she's mad at me for tossing her into this. Too bad, so sad.

If anyone has any questions about anything in the fic, or about the worldbuilding itself, feel perfectly free to ask. I'll try my hardest to answer any questions either in the author's note or in the fic itself, if I can work it in.

This fic is both me being bored enough to finally write again, and sort of a response to all of the other journey fics where the character is a total slut. I know that in the context of the stories that's perfectly acceptable, but I did want to try my hand at something a little different. So no, Dai will NOT be dropping her pants for every random Pokemon and trainer she sees.

Anyways, enough of my blabbering, you guys are here for the good stuff.

Also, everyone in my story is of age. There are in-world reasons for it, mainly the fact that someone has to be a legal adult to obtain a license.

For those that have read this on AFF, yes, this is the same author. I decided to post in on FF to hopefully get a little more feedback.

Official Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, nor am I making any money off of this. All of the original characters in this story are mine (unless otherwise stated). I'm just making them dance for my own twisted amusement.

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Dai sighed in boredom as she leaned back in her seat, idly fiddling with the fluffy end of her braid where it emerged from the tie keeping the majority of it together. The red strands were smooth and silky, a change that had come about only in the past year or so. Growing up, her hair had been a giant mass of frizz, and only now was finally settling in to something resembling manageble.

The boy in the seat next to her yawned widely, covering his mouth with a hand before leaning over to whisper to Dai. "Why do we have to go through with this course again?"

"Because the caretakers think we're terminally stupid and haven't picked up on any of this in the past eighteen years?" Dai replied back drolly.

'This' was a course that Dai and three other teens were having to take. In all fairness, it was only a week long, and today was the last day of it. Still, as she had mentioned, it wasn't as if they had all been deaf, dumb, and blind for the past nearly two decades.

However, the course was required in order to get a license to own and train Pokemon, and it wasn't as if this group had much of a choice. All four of them were from the local orphanage, and at reaching eighteen, they were now going to be on their own. At the very least, having the license would make any jobs where they were required to work with Pokemon a feasability, even if they didn't want to become a Trainer or Ranger.

"Oh! He's getting to the good part!" The boy beside Dai grinned as he sat up, leaning forward in his seat eagerly to hear the next part of the course. Dai rolled her eyes, but made sure to listen up. This was a part that no adult had really clarified to any of them.

"Alright. All four of you already know that the allowable limit for owning Pokemon without specialized permits is six on a battling team, and one Companion Pokemon. You've probably been told that the reason for this is that it is unfeasible for one person to take care of more Pokemon than that, and that is partially the truth.

Now, some of you may know, and some of you may not know, of the ancient agreement between Pokemon and humans. It is the reason that Pokemon agree to partner with us, to leave their homes in the wild and battle for us, even put their lives on the line. In return for doing all that they have, humans have returned our own promise. We have sworn that any Pokemon that enters a partnership with one of us will have all of their needs looked after. Food, a place to stay, companionship, and yes, sex."

The boys, immature things that they were, all started making lewd sounds and comments at this, leaving Dai to sigh and rub her forehead in exasperation. She had grown up with all three of them, and had long been convinced that they would never mature.

"Of course, sex isn't feasible with many Pokemon species, and there are other, special provisions for them. And there are guidelines. The Pokemon age of consent is widely considered to be at two years old, although it can vary between species. If there is any doubt, look it up or ask the Pokemon themselves. All of you will be given your translators at the end of the course, so that won't be a problem. Also, any rules that apply to humans also apply. Consent is a must, and infact, raping a Pokemon or being raped by one carry consequences just as bad for the rapist as for a human raping another human. Remember, these Pokemon are your partners. They are your friends, they will protect you, maybe with their lives. This bond cannot exist if there is fear on either side.

Now, getting on to Companions. As I have said before, Companion Pokemon do not battle, except in extreme circumstances. They do not reside in Pokeballs. Companion Pokemon are Pokemon who form an extremely tight-knit bond with their human partner. Rangers will only have a Companion Pokemon, whereas Trainers have it as an option. The bond between a trainer and a Companion is hard to describe, but the basic premise is this: your normal Pokemon are your friends. You'll enjoy spending time with them, even being with them intimately. Companions will be your lovers. The bond goes deeper and truer, and it is they who are the most likely to give up their lives to save yours, and the inverse is also true. Remember, Pokemon training is dangerous, and the purpose of the Companion, in addition to being your most beloved Pokemon, is also as a first line of defense, to give a trainer time to get their other Pokemon out, or to give a non-trainer time to get away. Now, any questions?"

Dai sat there silently and suffered through the questions being asked by the boys around her ("Can Pokemon and humans get pregnant from one another?" "No." "Which Pokemon are the horniest?" "I'm not answering that, or any other lewd questions." "Aww..." "Can we get STDs from Pokemon?" "There are no diseases that are transferrable between the species."). A glance at the clock proved that the course was about over, which had her fidgitting slightly at her desk.

Normally the course was held once every six months for the kids at the orphanage, to certify the ones who wanted to work with Pokemon before they left. However, the local lab would be handing out Starter Pokemon tomorrow, and with the relatively large amount of kids who had just hit their eighteenth birthday and all wanted to be trainers, they had made a special exception.

"Alright, I know all of you want to get out of here, but I have just one more thing to tell you before I give you your certifications and take you to get your translators." Even Dai straightened up then, eager to get out of there.

"Remember, Pokemon stay with you because they choose to. If you abuse or mistreat them, or even don't meet their needs, then they can and will choose to leave. If you abuse your Pokemon and their trust in you, you'll rapidly find yourself without a team. And you can garuntee that your Pokemon will tell others about you, so you'll find it hard to get any more. So I suggest you do right by them, if you want to stay a trainer long."

The middle-aged man smiled at them. "And now, for what you've all been waiting for. You are all now certified to handle Pokemon. I already have your cards all printed out, and in a moment I'll bring in my Companion to handle the translators."

Dai held her breath as the man took envelopes off of the table that was doubling as a desk at the front of the room, and proceeded to hand them out to each member of the class. Dai was last, and she took a moment to savor the sight of her name on the front (Daisuke Brennan. Dai HATED her first name, mostly because it was a boy's name. There had been a bit of a mixup when she had first come to the orphanage as a baby, and one of the caretakers had already put the name down legally by the time it was found out, thus why she always went by her nickname) before opening the envelope and pulling out the four objects inside. One was an official looking certificate saying that she was now certified to handle Pokemon, another was a similar certificate declaring her a trainer (which was the result of taking an exam earlier in the day), and the last two were cards basically saying the same. The certificates she put back in the envelope, and the cards she placed in her wallet, which was then slipped back into her back pocket.

It didn't take long for all four of them to gather their things, and between the time Dai looked down to place all of the papers she had been given in her backpack, and back up to see what was next, an Alakazam had teleported into the room.

"This is Psy, my Companion Pokemon. She's specially trained, and will be handling placing your translators."

Now the boys looked nervous, although Dai remained unphased. Translators, to put it simply, were special chips that a psychic Pokemon of sufficient power and control would teleport into the correct place in the brain. While there were always rumors of the Pokemon missing the mark and killing someone, Dai had actually done her research, and had found no actual records of that happening.

"Don't worry. Psy has a perfect record, you four will be fine. The worse you'll go through is a headache for a day or two while your body adjusts, and some over the counter painkillers will take care of that. Now, who's first?"

Dai gave a snort of amusement while all three guys hesitated, and decided to step forward herself. "You three are a bunch of pussies. Here, I'll go first."

The teacher nodded, pulling out a chair and gesturing for her to sit in it. Dai did so, putting her backpack in her lap and wrapping her arms around it. In reality, it didn't take long. The Alakazam locked gazes with her, and the next thing the redhead knew, the psychic Pokemon's eyes glowed for a brief instant, and then there was a mild soreness in her head.

"All done! See, that wasn't so bad." The teacher gave a reassuring smile to Dai as she stood up. "You're free to leave, and good luck on your journey."

Dai let out a shaky breath that she hadn't knew she had been holding as she slipped her backpack on, leaving the room as one of the guys mustered the courage to approach the chair behind her. Finally. She couldn't wait to get out of this place and on her own.

%%%

"Geez, did everyone and their retarded, inbred cousin show up?" Dai muttered to herself the next day. She, at least, had made sure to arrive early, with all of her things packed and ready to go in the travel pack at her feet. Part time jobs after school, and full time jobs during the summer for the past two years, in addition to not going on shopping sprees, had left her with enough money for the next few months, at least, and with enough supplies to choke a Tauros. Dai wasn't even sure how she would be expected to carry enough Pokechow to feed an entire team of six, plus a Companion, plus everything else she would need. Then again, hadn't one of the teachers mentioned that Pokecenters were generally placed around a day apart? And in places where that wasn't feasible, then they were fairly good about giving enough food to last the couple days to the next one. No matter, she'd figure it out as she went.

Dai was practically at the front of the line, with only three others waiting at the entrance to the lab before her, and so she had the opportunity to watch others arrive, some of them prepared as she was, and others looking like they had just rolled out of bed and wouldn't last half an hour on the road. The redhead sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. She, at least, had taken the time to ask trainers that were passing through what she would need, and had outfitted accordingly. Hiking boots with special soles in the bottom to keep her feet from wanting to murder her at the end of the day, dark green pants made of a durable material that was easy to move in, a light t-shirt and light green windbreaker, and a cap that was resting on top of her things, so as to keep the sun off. That, and she had sunscreen. As pale as she was, Daisuke had no intention of getting sunburn.

When the line had swollen to a full hundred people, this being the starting point for anyone in Kanto to become a trainer and all, the double doors opened and the resident Professor stepped out. Professor Oak was getting on in years, and it showed in the way that he now was having to use a cane to get around.

"All of the Pokemon are inside. They have all been let out of their Pokeballs, so that each of you can get to know them before deciding who to choose for your starter. Once you've made a choice, come up to the front lobby for their Pokeball so you can be on your way. We have all varieties here, so no one is limited to just Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Charmander, although we do have several members of each. Now, get in and get out, there's not enough booze in my office to deal with all of you."

Dai had to snatch up her pack in a hurry, as it suddenly seemed like EVERYONE wanted to cram in all at once. She did the smart thing, by darting inside and then immediately off to the right, pressing back against the wall as she waited for everyone to finish getting inside. It took a couple minutes, but finally everyone was spread out and talking to the various varieties of Pokemon. Letting out a sigh of relief, she shouldered her pack and dove into the fray, glancing around for anything that caught her eye.

%%%

The small Pokemon snorted in disgust as he jumped out of the way of a trainer who had just spotted a Skitty and wanted to claim her first. For a moment he stared in shock after the boy, who looked as if he used to be a linebacker for the football team in his high school. Silently hoping that the Skitty was a size queen, he turned back to sizing up the humans. Gah, not a good one in the bunch. After not finding a decent partner the last two times, he had been hoping that the third time would be a charm. No such luc-

Oh, wait a minute. He paused in rounding a boy who was talking with a Squirtle to study one of the humans that he had just spotted. The boy's back was to him, but from what he could see...

Small, on the short side (he couldn't be more than 5'2"), but slender and well-formed, with a red braid going partway down his back, legs that seemed to go on forever, and an ass...

Oh Arceus that was the most glorious ass he had ever seen!

This certainly had promise. Grinning to himself, which ended up showing a lot of teeth, he dove into the crowd until he was close enough to the boy to tug on his pant leg.

%%%

Dai blinked and looked down, her own hazel eyes meeting those of a Pokemon at her feet. This one was easily identifiable, since it was hard to mistake the small blue crocodile as anything but a Totodile. "Um, hi." They should be able to understand each other, right?

The Totodile blinked, and his first words caused her to instantly see red. "Wait, you're a chick?"

Now, Dai was sort of known back in the orphanage for her temper. And coupled with the fact that she was saddled with a guy's name and even looked rather andygronous tended to make it a bit of a sore point for her. So she could perhaps be forgiven for her next actions.

Maybe.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Totodile yelped as he had to dive out of the way of the trainer's lunge, her pack falling to the ground as she left it behind in favor of greater speed as she started to chase him. Of course, in the crowded area, this provided some difficulty.

"HEY!"

"OOF!"

"Is that guy trying to kill that Totodile?"

"Looks like it. Damn fine ass on that guy though, I wouldn't mind tapping that."

"Wonder who will win, Totodile or Ass Boy?"

"TAKING ALL BETS! TWO TO ONE ODDS ON TOTODILE! FOUR TO ONE ODDS ON ASS BOY!"

"Whoo! Awesome entertainment! Now all we need is booze!"

"DID SOMEONE ORDER BOOZE?" A clinking of bottles.

"HELLS YEAH! I'VE GONE TO THE PROMISE LAND BABY!"

"GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE BLUE BASTARD!"

%%%

A half an hour later, and Daisuke groaned as she slumped back against a helpful wall, slowly sinking down to sit on the floor, knees brought up close to her chest. A full half an hour of chasing around a Totodile who was far faster and more agile than his stocky body suggested had left her exhausted, as well as her anger mostly spent. Half of the room was having an impromptu party, complete with a portable stereo that someone had produced, and plenty of beer. From the looks of it, pizza had even been ordered.

"Hey."

Dai looked up just as she felt a weight appear on her knees, and her eyes narrowed as she found herself nose to snout with the Totodile from before, who had draped himself over them. "What the hell do you want?"

"First off? To apologize." Dai blinked in surprise at that. "No offense, but you ARE rather andygronous, and especially from the back it's hard to tell what gender you are. I didn't mean to offend you. So... truce?" A small blue hand with stubby fingers tipped with tiny claws was thrust out. After a moment, Dai sighed and lifted one hand to shake his.

"Fine, truce."

"Second of all... you want to be my trainer?" Totodile couldn't help it, he gave a fierce, amused grin at the spluttering that produced.

"I just did my damn best to send you to the great Pokecenter in the sky! Why the hell would you want to be my Pokemon?" Dai finally got coherent enough to snap out.

"Plenty of reasons." The Totodile gave her another toothy grin as he held up his hands, starting to tick off each one on a finger. "One, you're fiery. I like that in people, it shows you won't back down. Two, you have a damn fine ass, and I want to be the one to tap that." He held up a hand to forestall more imminent rage. "And three... You have this look to you that says you'll go far."

Now Daisuke was confused. "Explain."

"I've been here over a year. This is my third time meeting prospective trainers. And I've started to notice, the ones that end up going far and doing well all have a certain look in their eyes. You have that same spark, the one that tells me that when you start something, you won't be content until you're one of the best out there at it. And that's what I want in a trainer." The small blue Pokemon's crimson eyes sought out her own hazel ones. "I don't want to be a Totodile forever. I want a trainer that's going to push me, someone who's going to help me get stronger and become a Feraligatr one day. And I believe that you'll be able to do it." Now the toothy grin returned, only it had a perverted cast to it. "That fine ass is just the icing on the cake."

Dai groaned and rubbed her forehead as she took a moment to think. He was right, she WOULDN'T be happy until she was one of the best out there. And at least he was honest about his reasons, that alone she could appreciate.

"... Fine. We'll hammer out some ground rules once we're on the road." Daisuke snorted out a laugh as the Totodile did a fist pump, accompanied by an exclimation of 'Score!' "Now come on, let's go collect your Pokeball and my Pokedex and gear."

The Totodile slid off of her knees, allowing her to stand and dust herself off, then start threading through the crowd with him behind her. After a moment, she heard him ask from somewhere around the vicinity of her calves. "By the way, so I know what you're working with, how much bedroom experience do you have?"

Daisuke sighed and rubbed her forehead, already wondering if she made the right choice. "None, why?" The sudden sense that the Totodile had stopped walking made her stop and look behind her in confusion.

This just brought her the sight of the Totodile with his head bowed and his hands clasped infront of him. "Dear Arceus, thank you for the gift I am about to recieve..." He was cut off by an annoyed bop to the head, and couldn't help but give a sheepish grin up at his new trainer as they started walking again.

"By the way, do you have a name?" Dai asked as they hit the hallway that would take them to the front lobby.

"Yeah, sorry for not introducing myself earlier. The name's Scald."

"I'm Daisuke. DON'T LAUGH."

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Aaaand that's the end of the first chapter. Don't worry people, more is coming, and the smut will be in the second chapter (chapters 2 and 3 are already written, but I'll wait a few days before posting them). No, I am not telling in advance to anyone but my proofreader what the rest of her team is going to be, and even he doesn't know what I have planned for her Companion.

Special thanks to my proofreader, Kazuki! See you all next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Here's Chapter 2, and Scald finally gets some! So, yes, smut is up ahead. If you're under 18, don't read or I'll make Dai beat you up. Also, more exposition! *Puts on teacher's outfit, adjusts glasses*

Disclaimer: If I owned Pokemon, it CERTAINLY wouldn't be for kids!

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"So you're saying I can set limits with this whole intimacy thing?" Dai asked, turning her head to look Scald in the eyes. The Totodile had managed to con her into giving him a ride, and was currently sprawled over her pack and left shoulder, giving them a chance to talk without either of them getting a crick in their necks.

"Of course you can. Remember, this is all about trust. If we ask you to do something that you're not comfortable with, just TELL us. And if any of the Pokemon you get don't want to respect your limits, tell me. I'll set them straight really quick." The tooth-filled grin that the small crocodile gave left no questions as to how he would settle the matter.

"Well, that's a relief. And if I'm not in the mood, I can say no?" Dai hazarded, although she was fairly sure of the answer. She just wanted clarification.

"Definitely. If we're that hard up, we'll just ask the others if anyone's horny. Remember, a team and their trainer are all in this together. Bonds between teammates are just as important as those between a trainer and their Pokemon. We all have to rely on each other." Scald chuckled. "It helps that most Pokemon are bi, we don't really care about the gender of our partner, so long as we get some."

"What about size differences? There's that Skitty and Wailord thing that I've heard rumors about..." Daisuke shuddered at the mere thought of how THAT one happened.

To her surprise, Scald burst out laughing. "You humans actually believe that? That was just a joke that Pokemon started, we didn't think that you'd take it SERIOUSLY." Daisuke huffed and looked away in irritation from the chortling Totodile on her shoulder.

"Shut up, I'm new to a lot of this. Although I can imagine some very confused Skitty and Wailords at breeding centers..." That sent Scald off into fresh laughter, and it was contagious enough that Dai found herself chuckling along.

A rumbling from behind the two of them prompted Dai to look back over her right shoulder, then yelp at the sight of several new trainers and their Pokemon bearing down on them. The redhead quickly jumped to the side of the path and watched as those who had chosen Pokemon large enough to ride (a couple Ponyta, a Girafarig, a zebra looking thing, and two Tauros) thundered past.

"I CALL ORGY UP AHEAD!"

"HELLS YEAH!"

"DID ANYONE BRING BOOZE?"

"ARE YOU KIDDING? I'VE GOT AN ENTIRE CART HITCHED TO MY POKEMON!"

"BEST JOURNEY START _EVER!_"

Dai sighed and rubbed her forehead as the rumbling died down and the dust started to settle. "And people wonder why it's kind of a bad idea to send a bunch of college age kids out with the legal ability to drink, as well as handle creatures that can cause mass destruction."

"You mean hilarity ensues?" Scald joked, earning a snort of amusement from his trainer.

"Fair enough. Come on, I want to get to the Pokemon Center by nightfall."

%%%

They were further delayed by Scald wanting to battle three Pidgeys, a Rattata, and a Bidoof, of all things. Daisuke got her first taste of learning to command her Pokemon, and after a couple false starts while she learned Scald's attacks, she learned to at least not get her Totodile killed, although they did go through a Potion somewhere in there, it was mitigated by Scald leveling up enough to learn Water Gun. Although, Dai WAS shocked to learn that he already knew Ancient Power.

"These days, it's odd to find a Pokemon that DOESN'T have an egg move or two, what with all of the mixed couples out there." The blue Pokemon had explained as Dai sprayed the Potion on his scratches.

"And you couldn't have told me that you knew it BEFORE we went up against the flying types that are, oh I dunno, WEAK against rock attacks?" Dai hissed, lightly bopping Scald over the head with the Potion bottle.

"I thought you had taken a look at your Pokedex to check my moves already! Most trainers have the sense to do that right after they get a Pokemon!" He replied, then shrunk back a little as Dai loomed over him threateningly at the veiled insult. "... Wait, don't tell me that you don't know how to work your Pokedex..."

Dai sighed and deflated a little as she finished off the Potion by spraying down his back. "Hey, those buttons are all confusing. And none of the damn things are LABELED. They don't even go over how to use them!"

"Didn't they give you a manual?"

"Scald, no one reads the manual."

%%%

By the time they reached the Center that evening, they were both hot, sweaty, thirsty, hungry, and tired. Stepping into the air conditioned lobby earned a groan of relief from both travellers, and as much as they both wanted to go get something to eat, Dai instead took her place at the end of a short line of trainers waiting to get their Pokemon healed.

Fifteen minutes later, and Scald at least was feeling marginally better. After procuring a room, between the two of them they were able to find and make use of the cafeteria, and spent some time debating whether or not what they had gotten in line was actually food, and if not, what exactly it was.

"I swear, this is actually slime that will grow into a blob and consume us all." Scald poked at his lime jello with his plastic fork, paling a little when the utensil just bounced right off without piercing it, making the jello wobble angrily. "Okay, either my fork really, really sucks, or that jello is now plotting my demise."

"Scald, stop playing with your food." Dai gave up on trying to cut her lump of charcoal (it was SUPPOSED to be a slice of meatloaf) and instead dug into the salad that she had made sure to get. It, at least, seemed to be alright, as it came in pre-packaged little containers and there was no way for the local cooking staff to mess it up.

"... Dai, my jello just ate my fork."

%%%

After the cafeteria-wide effort to subdue the Jello Monster (which had turned out to be a Zorua in disguise), Dai and Scald headed upstairs. They had gotten lucky and had managed to get a single room to themselves (mostly due to the fact that they had gotten there before the main rush), and the new trainer groaned as she dropped her pack on the floor beside the twin bed.

"Dammit, I need a shower..." Dai winced and rubbed her lower back in pain, already looking forward to getting clean. She was brought out of her thoughts by Scald tugging on her pant leg.

"... Mind if I join you?" At his trainer's sudden paling, both at what he asked and the realization of what would follow, Scald plowed on. "Look, I know that girls want something special for their first time. Candles, roses, someone they love. I can't exactly manage that, but..." He gave her a surprisingly gentle look. "I will do the best I can. I won't tell you that I won't hurt you, because every girl's first time hurts, but I WILL promise you that I'll make it all worth it."

Dai looked away, although to her credit she seemed to be seriously considering it. Finally she gave a long sigh. She'd have to give in sometime, and at least Scald was a better choice than a lot of guys she could think of.

"... Fine. Just... be careful, okay?" She murmured, earning a smile from her Pokemon.

"I swear I will be." A small tug to her clothes, and Dai found herself following Scald into the bathroom.

As Scald started the water running to give it time to warm up, Daisuke took a deep breath, closing her eyes before starting to strip. Quickly, wanting to get it over with before she had time to chicken out, she allowed her jacket to drop to the floor, followed by hauling her shirt off and allowing it to fall beside her. Her bra dropped on top of it, and she leaned over to start unlacing her boots.

A small, clawed hand on her cheek made her look up, only to come nose to nose with Scald. She opened her mouth to protest, only for him to whisper "Shh..." and press his mouth to hers.

The kiss was strange, there was no getting around that. Totodiles had stiffer lips than humans, and then there were all of those teeth to get around. But Scald knew what he was doing, and kept it slow and gentle. After a moment, the small, coaxing movements the Totodile was making had Dai responding, the teen closing her eyes as she let Scald guide her through the movements. She felt the hand on her cheek gently brush down and over her jawbone, then slide down to her neck, brushing over a spot that made Dai give a soft moan into the kiss. That shocked her enough to break it, and she scowled at Scald's amused grin.

"Shut up." She muttered, even though he didn't say anything, and quickly finished unlacing her boots so that she could step out of them. Another deep breath, and she unbuttoned and unzipped her pants, sliding them down along with her underwear so that she could step out of them.

Finally naked, she crossed her arms and glared a little down at her Totodile, as if daring him to comment on her body. Thankfully, Scald had a little more common sense than to say anything that would put a halt to things right there and then, and simply gestured for her to sit down, so as to help make up for the hieght difference.

Dai swallowed, but did so, automatically pressing her legs together as her fingers fiddled with the end of her braid, which she hadn't undone yet. Scald simply smiled gently as he climbed up to sit on her thighs. That put them right at the same hieght, and he used this to pull his trainer into another kiss.

At least Dai was a fast learner, and this time Scald managed to coax her lips apart, just far enough so that he could brush his tongue between them, although he didn't try to deepen it further. Slow and steady, he had to remember that. Both of his hands cupped her cheeks, gently guiding her against him as he lapped at her lips, and encouraging her to do the same in return. Dai's own attempts were hesitant, and she made sure to be careful of his teeth. Still, his flavor wasn't unpleasant, kind of musky and warm. Deciding that it wasn't half bad, she grew a little bolder, exploring between his teeth and running down them, careful of the tips, then delving a little further to meet his tongue with her own. That earned moans on both sides, and Dai felt a swell of confidence at being able to coax a sound of pleasure from her partner.

That was probably the reason for the small sound of disappointment that she gave when Scald broke the kiss, although he reassured her with a gentle peck to her lips. "Come on, we don't want to use up all of the hot water." He murmured, reminding her of why they were there in the first place. Dai blushed, but let Scald climb off of her lap before she stood, following the Totodile into the shower.

Dai made sure to keep her back to Scald as she undid her braid, tossing the tie out to land on her clothes before using her fingers to comb her hair out. Her hair was all kinked from spending the entire day like that, and she took a moment to make sure there were no tangles before grabbing the shampoo.

Scald, on the other hand, wasn't minding the view at all. Dai having her back to him gave him an excellent view of her bare ass, and it was just as glorious as he had imagined it to be when he first spotted her back at the lab. Round and firm, it was practically begging to be grabbed, so to distract himself he grabbed the Pokemon body-wash and a cloth, lathering it up before starting to scrub himself down. After all, he was grimy and dirty from travelling all day, and Dai at least deserved someone clean for her first time.

Thankfully Daisuke wasn't one of those women who spent an hour in the shower, and in truth she finished only a little later than Scald. A quick rinse for both of them, and Dai turned the water off before following her Totodile out to dry off. Still, she found herself tilting her head curiously as Scald grabbed an extra towel and carried it into the bedroom, and as soon as she was dry, she followed. There, she found him spreading the towel across the bed, about halfway down. "What's that for?"

"I'm a water Pokemon." Scald explained. "It's kind of a trait of ours that when we cum, we cum a LOT. I just don't want to make a huge mess for the maids to have to clean up in the morning."

"... Point made." Aaaaand there was that blush again. Dai frowned and forced it down, then took a deep breath and stepped closer to the bed.

Thankfully, Scald knew enough to not laugh at his trainer's nervousness, and instead finished positioning the towel before moving to the side. "Just lay down. Don't worry, we'll take it slow." He reassured her.

Dai swallowed hard, but forced down her nervousness and slid onto the bed, making sure that her hips were resting on the towel before laying back. Scald dropped to all fours, making his way up to gently nuzzle his snout against her neck before kissing her again, running one small hand through her damp hair as he moved to drape himself over her chest and stomach. After a moment, his trainer responded again, and they spent a few moments simply kissing as he tried to reassure her.

The redhead sighed softly into the kiss, closing her eyes as she parted her lips. This time she was less hesitant as her tongue met Scald's, and for lack of something to do, her hands came up to lightly brush over the Totodile's back. As soon as her fingertips found the base of his spikes, her Pokemon moaned deeply into the kiss, making Dai start a bit. She didn't stop, though, and instead started deliberately rubbing around his spikes, making Scald shudder and groan. It didn't take long for her to notice something poking her in the stomach, and she broke the kiss to pant a little.

Scald shivered, but seemed to understand what she wanted, and moved to sit up on her chest. This gave Dai an excellent view of his belly, as well as the leathery sheath at the base, which was currently swollen and allowing the bright red tip of his penis to poke out. One last brush over his back, and then her fingers were trailing around him, over his sides and stomach and down to his sheath as she curiously explored. His cock gave a small twitch as she brushed the pad of one finger over the tip, and Dai took a moment to curiously examine the slimy liquid that rubbed off.

"Male Pokemon have that, it makes it easier on everyone involved when we have our own lubrication as well." Scald explained. Dai gave him a look that clearly said 'I could have guessed that on my own, dumbass' before wrapping her fingers around his sheath and squeezing lightly. The Totodile groaned and closed his eyes as more of his cock slipped out, revealing a ridge along the underside. A moment later, and his hands came down, showing his trainer how to grip a little tighter, then use his sheath to stroke up and down, making sure she understood the right amount of pressure and speed needed before letting go. Daisuke obliged, continuing to jack him off as Scald leaned back against his tail, panting a little and spreading his legs wider, revealing the small, heavy sack below his sheath. A few seconds later, and delicate fingers were cupping the leathery scrotum, lightly feeling the weight of his balls and gently rubbing a careful thumb over him.

Scald groaned, then reached down to hurriedly urge Dai's hands away from him. "Don't want this to end too soon." He explained, sitting back up to reveal his fully hard cock. To be honest, it wasn't all that big. Dai tilted her head as she studied it, judging it to be around four inches long and about two of her fingers wide. It was bright red and looked slick, with a pointed tip and three backwards-facing ridges along the underside. Dai found herself relaxing, silently glad that her first time wouldn't involve having to take something bigger than she could handle.

She didn't get much longer to examine him, since Scald took the opportunity to lean forward and kiss her again. Just as she was beginning to respond, he broke it, only to move down and lick gently at her neck. Dai sighed in pleasure and closed her eyes, tilting her chin up to give him some more room. Not long after she gasped and moaned, shivering as her Pokemon found a spot right over her pulse point that sent a lance of pleasure through her.

Her Pokemon spent a few minutes just gently working that spot, lightly gripping with his teeth (though not biting down), lapping with his tongue, and sucking as well as he was able. When he pulled back, he felt a rush of male pride at the red mark he had left behind, right where everyone would be able to see. Dai would probably be pissed at him when she noticed, but he didn't care. One last kiss to the spot, and he moved down.

Scald was delighted to find Dai's nipples already hard and beaded up, and gently brushed his nose over both of them before bringing both small hands up to firmly rub over the area around them. Dai, infact, DID have breasts, they were just small enough that the loose shirts and jackets she favored (being a fan of comfort over fashion) covered them up. Scald didn't mind, and infact he was having fun gripping her breasts, rubbing them and earning a few more moans from his trainer. Once he was sure that she was distracted, he lowered his head to rake his thick tongue over one of her nipples, prompting a gasp from it's owner. Scald grinned and did it again, then drew it into his mouth, making sure it was safely resting between his conical teeth and out of harm's way before he started to suck.

Dai keened, her hands flying up to grip the back of his head, holding him to her as he gave long, firm pulls, his head bobbing a bit and tugging at her breast as he suckled, his mouth lightly squeezing with each suck and adding to the pleasure. The trainer tossed her head back, panting and moaning lowly as Scald worked her chest. All too soon it ended, and she gave a soft sound of protest when he pulled his mouth away.

"Don't worry." The Totodile gave her a smug grin as he shifted to hover over her neglected nipple. "I just felt bad for this one." With only that for a warning, he quickly drew her other nipple into his mouth and repeated the process all over again, delighting in the sounds that his trainer was making. While he suckled, one hand moved up to lightly massage the breast that he had abandoned, gently tugging on that nipple with two fingers and smiling to himself as he heard Dai's cries escalate. He himself was rock hard at this point, his tip drooling lightly onto her lower stomach and leaving light streaks behind on her skin.

The young woman was panting softly when Scald finally drew away, closing her eyes as she felt the Totodile start to lap his way down her belly, licking up the trails of his own precum as he went. Using his tail, he gently urged her to spread her legs so that he could back down between them, dragging his cock lightly over her slit along the way, marking her with another thread of his fluids. Finally he was crouched between her legs, which made Dai tense up in nervousness.

"Shh... you'll like this, don't worry." Scald soothed, gently kissing the inside of each thigh before reaching forward with one hand to part her lips. The Totodile felt another surge of male pride at seeing how wet his partner was, enough to where there was already a damp spot on the towel underneath her. He closed his eyes and took a moment to breathe in her scent, groaning a little as his cock twitched in response to smelling an aroused female, then ducked his head to slowly drag his tongue from bottom to top.

"Aaah!" Dai cried out, her hands burying themselves in the sheets in need of _something_ to grip. A little embarrassed at how loud she was being, for the next lick she gritted her teeth together to muffle the moan that came out.

"It's okay. I want to hear you. It's how I know I'm doing a good job." Dai blushed at that, but slowly allowed herself to relax, and the next lick earned another groan of pleasure. "Good girl."

Dai glared down at Scald for that one, but wasn't able to keep it up for long, as the Totodile simply grinned and dragged his tongue over a part of her that had her arching and keening in pleasure.

Scald laughed to himself, then licked again at Dai's clit, relishing the wonderful sounds his trainer was making. She was so responsive, and he was quickly growing to love it. He had been with a few partners before, and to be honest it was downright boring to have sex with someone who just laid there and didn't make any noise, even when he pulled out his best moves.

This was a lot more fun.

He replaced his tongue with his fingers on her clit, lightly tugging and rubbing it as he lowered his head, dragging his tongue over her entrance as he tasted her. Mostly flavorless, with just a hint of peaches in the aftertaste. Silently, Scald promised himself to one day introduce Dai to bringing food into the bedroom. Adding some cream would be perfect.

With that thought in mind, he slowly wormed his thick tongue into her, making Dai gasp and shudder as she was spread around him. He only managed about an inch and a half, but that seemed to definitely be enough, to judge by how Dai was squirming and mewling in pleasure. Slowly, he slid his tongue back out, then shoved it back in, earning himself a loud cry.

Between his thrusting tongue, gentle fingers, and her own inexperience, it was surprising that Dai lasted as long as she did. Several minutes later, she tensed up and gave a soft, indrawn hiss between her teeth. "Scald, I..."

"Let it come." He murmured against her, making her jump and pant at the vibrations of it. "It's alright, let it come."

"I... I..." Dai gasped and gritted her teeth, arching and gripping tighter into the sheets as the building pleasure finally broke, forcing a loud cry out as she trembled from the orgasm. "SCALD!"

As she drifted back down, she noticed a strange ache and fullness inside; as well as a definite weight on her stomach; and looked down to see a smug Totodile draped across her, hips pressed firmly to hers as he rested inside of her.

"Didn't even notice me breaking your hymen, did you?" He asked, reaching up to play with her breasts as he waited for her to recover. "I figured that this was the best way to get it over with, that way you don't really notice the pain."

Dai blinked, surprised at her Pokemon's thoughtfulness, then gave a hesitant smile as she reached down to lightly scritch at the base of one of his spikes, earning a groan and a twitch that she felt inside of her. "... Thanks Scald." She shifted a little, feeling him inside her. He was just big enough that she felt nicely full, and there was no pain from stretching, simply a little residual soreness from her maidenhead being taken. "I think I'm okay now."

"Oh thank Arceus." Scald breathed, earning a small chuckle of laughter from his partner. "You have no idea how good you feel." Quickly, he moved his hands down to grip her hips tightly, resting his weight on her stomach as his hips started to move.

Dai opened her mouth to tease him, but froze as she felt Scald pull out a little, then snap back in. A repeat of that, and she gave a low moan, closing her eyes as she gripped her Pokemon's back, holding her to him as he rapidly thrust into her. By this point, the Totodile felt as if he was hard enough to cut diamonds, and his control had slipped enough to where he couldn't take it as slow as he would have liked. Not that Daisuke was complaining, to judge by the loud cries she was giving as he pounded into her.

Scald gritted his teeth, shifting a little so that he could dig his hind claws into the towel under them for more leverage, arching his back so that he could slam into Dai with more force, their movements producing a loud slapping sound of flesh meeting leathery flesh. Between Dai's own fluids and the Totodile spurting even more precum inside of her, they were making a definite wet spot on the towel, and maybe even soaking through it at this point.

"Dai..." Scald panted out, jaws open to suck in great lungfulls of air. "Tell me now... whether I can... go off inside you..." He groaned, giving a few extra hard thrusts at the thought. "Or whether... you want me... to pull out..."

His trainer didn't answer right away, but she did reach down to grip his lower back, holding him to her as he thrust. "Don't you dare pull out now..." She hissed out, her hips rocking against him to meet his thrusts. Scald gave a breathy laugh at her tone, a little relieved even as he sped up, earning another loud cry from Dai. Silently he closed his eyes and imagined himself as a Feraligatr doing this, impaling his trainer on his large cock and making her scream in pleasure.

Scald gritted his teeth as he felt his sack draw up close to his body. "Close... I'm almost there..." He panted, making Dai clench her hands against his spikes. The burst of pleasure from that made him cry out and rapidly slam himself into his trainer, his orgasm washing over him as his cock started to pour his seed into her in a thick stream.

Daisuke keened in pleasure as she felt Scald go off, his quick jabs into her striking over a spot that had her seeing stars, her own body responding to his finish with one of her own.

Finally they both slumped down, panting hard as they tried to catch their breaths. Dai closed her eyes and simply petted Scald's head, blushing a little when she noticed the sensation of her Totodile's seed trickling out of her. Still, she had to admit that Scald had followed through on his promise. All of it HAD been worth it.

Using the toes on one foot, she gripped the folded blanket on the end of the bed, pulling it up far enough that she could grab it with her hands and unfold it over the both of them. A few minutes later, and they were both asleep, Scald draped across his trainer's chest and stomach.

"Ow..." Dai winced as she set out the next morning, a lingering soreness between her legs making walking unpleasant. Of course, she wasn't the only trainer walking funny, and a lot of Pokemon seemed to be hitching rides that day, so she could rest assured that she wasn't the only one dealing with this.

"Hey Dai?" She turned her head to look Scald in the eyes, tilting her head a bit in curiousity. "I forgot to ask yesterday, but do you have any goals as a trainer? I know that some want to compete in contests, others want to be breeders, a lot want to be the next Champion... what about you?"

This, at least, Dai had an answer for. Digging in her pack, she pulled out a folded newspaper article, this one seeming to have taken up the entire first page on the day it had been printed. Silently, she passed it to Scald and let him unfold it to read as she concentrated on the path ahead, which was getting a little rough, with lots of embedded rocks.

And then she regretted not having invested in earplugs.

"YOU WANT TO BE A MEMBER OF THE ELITE FOUR?"

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Author's Note: Muwahahahahaha! Yes, I'm ending this chapter there. But at least you guys got a smut scene in this one!

Let me know how I did, and the contents of the article will be explained more in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Author's Note: This chapter did NOT want to be written. I had to sit down and force myself to write just to get it done, and ended up rewriting several parts.

Anyways, about Damien: I debated long and hard about whether to put Pokemorphs into my fic, before finally deciding 'Screw it, it's my fic and I'll do whatever I damn well please'.

*Cough* Now, a request: As I'm hoping for this fic to become rather long-running (chapters may have a good amount of time between them, but I am NOT planning on abandoning this fic), I'm going to need some ideas for trainers, possibly even a rival for Dai. Feel free to suggest anything that comes to mind, and any and all ideas I swipe will be credited back to their original owner. Anything goes for teams, except legendaries. There's an in-world reason that no one is allowed to capture one.

For those that are worried about this devolving into a smut-fest, I promise that there will be no more than one erotic scene per chapter, and some won't include one at all.

In this chapter we see our first actual, written out battle. Not all will be written out, just ones that I feel are important (captures, gym challenges, etc). Let me know how you think I did!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Any characters that look original are mine. Any that are from the show, aren't. Capeesh?

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"... Elite Four Member Bruno (54) has expressed his desire to retire from his position. In his interview with our reporter, he commented that he feels he is missing too much of his childrens' lives, and wishes to be a better father.

'I'm away far too often. If I had money for all the times I was out with my kids and had to be called away because a trainer challenged us...'

Bruno has announced that his impending retirement will take place three years from now. As is the custom when a new member of the Elite Four is needed, a tournament will take place at that time. All participants will need at least a full set of badges from one league to enter, and the winner will battle against the remaining members of the Elite Four in the manner of a normal challenger, to determine their position in their ranks and whether the remaining members will agree to that trainer joining their elite ranks.

'I'm sad to see him go, but I understand his reasoning.' Will (26) commented. 'He's been a great mentor to us all, and it just won't be the same without him...'"

Scald put down the newspaper article that had been neatly clipped out, staring at his trainer as she walked. Once again he was draped across her pack and shoulder, allowing them to carry on a conversation with ease. "You know, most trainers want to become a champion instead."

"Incase you haven't noticed, I'm not most trainers." Dai replied absently, having to devote most of her attention to navigating a somewhat tricky part of the trail. "And think about it. Who keeps their position longer: The champion, or the Elite Four?"

"... The Elite Four." Realization dawned in the Totodile's eyes.

"Right. There's a new champion every couple of years. But the Elite Four keep their positions until either they decide to retire, as Bruno is doing, or a scandal forces them out. Some of them, like Agatha, keep their spot for DECADES. It's THEM that will be remembered better as being the best of the best, not the champions." Dai hopped down the last ledge and paused to shoot Scald a fierce grin.

"Alright, so we have..." The Pokemon checked the date on the article. "A little less than three years to get ready. Do you think that will be enough?"

"We'll MAKE it enough." Dai replied. "I'll be rough and a lot of hard work, so if you want out now, just tell me."

A laugh answered her. "Are you kidding me? Pass up the chance to be a part of this? You couldn't MAKE me leave."

"I'll remind you that you said that when you're exhausted and sore from training."

It took the pair another day and a half to reach Viridian City. Even then they were among the first, since Dai was good at maintaining a relatively brisk pace, and even better at not letting Scald distract her (much to the Totodile's annoyance).

"I told you, there's a time and place for intimacy, and that list does not include the damn trail in the middle of the day."

"Other people are doing it."

"Those other people aren't going to make it very far if they keep that up. We're on a time limit, and that means no distractions." A small sigh. "Look, we can have all the fun we want when we're stopped for the night at a Pokemon center or a campsite. But during the day we need to focus, alright?"

"You know, sometimes you're too sensible for your own good. Ever hear the phrase 'All work and no play'?"

"Having a reasonable work ethic does not mean I don't know how to have fun." Daisuke's expression softened a little. "Look, I know breaks are important, but if I don't establish a good routine now, it'll be that much harder to stick to one later on. I told you that this is going to be a lot of hard work, and that means sometimes we'll be working when we'd much rather be having fun."

"... Fine. But come nighttime, don't be surprised if you get pounced."

That earned a chuckle. "I'll consider myself warned, then." Dai thought it best to not mention that the mental image of the Totodile trying to tackle her was more amusing than anything.

"Hey look, the Viridian City gates!" Dai blinked and looked up, feeling a surge of relief. It was barely after lunch, which meant they were ahead of schedule. Although calling the structure a 'gate' was being generous, as it had no doors, merely a guard shack with a bored officer inside, and an arch overhead with the words 'Welcome To Viridian City!' in wrought iron overhead.

A quick stop at the shack to scan her Pokedex (the league used the information to track trainers, to measure progress and keep a record of how many were flowing through each city), and Dai was making her way to the large Pokemon Center in the middle of the bustling metropolis. A quick stop to heal Scald and drop off her heavier things in her rented room, and she was back out and moving west.

"Where are we going?" The Totodile asked, noticing that they were approaching the city's western gate.

"Route 22. It's time to find you a teammate, and I have just the kind of Pokemon in mind."

"Awesome! So who are we looking to recruit?"

"You'll see."

"You're no fun."

"So I've been told. Now shut up, we want potential teammates to think we're sane."

"You mean we're not? And that hobo even sold me that certificate saying I was! I wasted my money for nothing!" Dai couldn't help it, she covered her mouth with one hand to hide her laughter, but Scald could easily feel her shaking shoulders that betrayed her.

"Fine, relatively sane then. Hopefully we find one quick, I want to get back before dinner." Scald whined a bit at the lack of information, earning a light bop on the end of his nose. Dai had to hold back her laughter at the sneezing fit that followed. "Well, at least I know how to get back at you if you disobey me."

A quick scan at the gate, and they were out onto the route. Since it led to what most people termed Victory Road, where the best trainers tended to congregate, it was better maintained than one would expect. Much of the grass alongside the road (paved with stones) was trimmed, and one would have to deliberately detour to get into the trees and tall grass.

Dai only walked for around ten minutes before doing just that, both of them tensing up as they entered the cool shadows. A few Pidgeys were flitting around overhead, and Dai avoided a Mankey that swung by. Scald sighed, settling in for a good wait, since they probably weren't going to find what they were looking for right away.

Which was why both of them gave a yelp of surprise when Dai was smacked into right at the back of her knees, sending her, her Totodile, and the mystery assailant all tumbling down into a heap.

"Yeah, that's what I thought, asshole!" Dai groaned as she felt what seemed to be a small Pokemon leap up onto her butt, apparently yelling at something behind all of them. The trainer winced as she propped herself up on her elbows, looking back over her shoulder to meet the rear end of a male Nidoran, who was currently cursing out a pissed off Mankey.

... Well, first things first, the Mankey. "Scald, use Water Gun on monkey boy." A quick dousing later, and the Pokemon ran off, screeching at the top of his lungs (the translater didn't help with that, so Dai assumed it was the equivilant of screaming).

The Nidoran had frozen by now, only just seeming to realize that he had run into a trainer. They all remained still for a moment, at least until the tension was broken by Scald starting to snicker. Dai just sighed. "Nice as this is, could you get off my ass now?"

"Whoops." The pink Pokemon scrambled to get off, quickly turning around to keep both the human and his... no, it was a chick... make that her Pokemon in sight. Thankfully she didn't seem all that mad as she stood up, brushing grass off her front before turning to him.

Dai grinned to herself as she crouched down, balancing on the balls of her feet as she faced the Nidoran. "I've heard of making an entrance, but I think yours takes the cake so far."

"Yeah, poo-flinger back there threw me." The rabbit-like Pokemon huffed, his oversized ears twitching in annoyance. "Just because I suggested he could use a bath. Or two. ... Or ten." He glanced up at the trainer, who seemed fairly nice so far. "The name's Atamu. Who are you?"

"I'm Dai, and this is Scald." Dai discreetely elbowed her Totodile, who she could just SENSE was opening that big mouth of his to tell Atamu her full name. "And as it happens, we were looking for a Nidoran."

"We were?"

"Scaaaald."

Atamu was immediately on the defensive, glaring warily up at the trainer. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess that you want to catch me."

"I won't lie, that is what I want." Better to be honest than have anything bite her in the ass. "But only if you want to come." Dai couldn't stop a fierce grin from appearing. "And only after a battle. I need strong Pokemon that know their way around a fight on my team, if you catch my drift."

The Nidoran hissed softly and bristled, his spikes shifting on his back. "Strong? I can kick any Pokemon's ass from here to the depths of the sea, then to the craters of the moon, then to the pits of hell!" The small Pokemon's red eyes were gleaming, and to be honest he looked downright eager at the prospect of a battle.

"THAT'S what I want to hear." Dai laughed as she stood, Scald moving out infront of her.

Atamu didn't wait for them to get ready, Scald was still bracing himself when the Nidoran lunged forward, horn lowered to use Peck. The Totodile yelped, throwing himself out of the way and wincing as the Nidoran kicked him on his way past.

"Scald, Leer, then Ancient Power!" Atamu took a second to skid to a halt, and just as he was turning around for another charge, his eyes met his opponent's. The Nidoran felt a shiver run through his body as his defense fell, then paled as a small, glowing silvery-white ball formed in Scald's hands. The pink Pokemon scrambled to get out of the way in time, but was bowled over by the attack before he could.

"... That hurt, you know." He hissed as he dragged himself to his feet, giving a good shake before his eyes glowed, using a Leer in return. Scald flinched, his own defense taking a dive as well. Atamu didn't give his opponent time to recover, and instead charged forward as a silvery glow formed behind him. The Totodile attempted to dodge, but was too slow, and was slammed into the air from the materialized Iron Tail.

Dai couldn't help but wince as Scald smacked into a tree, two of his spines getting wedged into the bark and making him dangle several feet above the ground. "Okay, THAT looked like it hurt. And you, Atamu." The Nidoran stopped trying to jump high enough to reach Scald and looked over his shoulder at the human. "How, by Arceus's green eyes, did you manage to do an IRON TAIL when you don't even HAVE a tail?"

"... Honestly? I try not to think too hard about it." They both relaxed slightly, and the tense atmosphere eased.

Dai sighed as she crouched down, balancing on the balls of her feet as she reached out towards the wild Pokemon, pausing several inches away and giving him a questioning look. Atamu hesitated, then sighed and stepped forward, giving his silent consent to the ear rub. "Look, you proved your point that you're strong. I see no point in making you or Scald battle any longer. No sense in spending the night getting healed back to full health if you don't have to. So, here's big question. Do you WANT to come with us?"

"Oooh, that's the spot..." Magic fingers, it HAD to be. There was no other explanation for how the human girl was hitting all of the perfect spots at the base of his ears. It was with definite reluctance that he pulled away, sitting down to fix Dai with a studying look.

"... I'll be a full member of the team?"

"If I have it my way, and I will, you'll be a Nidoking and one of my strongest fighters by the time I'm done." The redhead answered honestly.

"... I'm in." The two shared a feral grin, at least until Scald's voice interrupted them.

"Um, a little help here?" The Totodile was still stuck to the tree and wiggling furiously to try and free himself. Atamu immediately burst out laughing, while Dai pointedly kept a straight face as she drew out Scald's Pokeball and recalled him, freeing him from the tree at the same time.

THEN she started laughing.

%%%

"You were laughing at me, weren't you?" Scald accused as they walked back into Viridian City, Atamu snug and safe in his new Pokeball.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Dai looked FAR too innocent as she lengthened her stride, walking ahead of the small blue Pokemon.

"After you recalled me. You were laughing."

"You sure you didn't hit your head when Atamu knocked you into that tree? Because I wasn't laughing."

"I could hear you through the Pokeball."

"Dammit!" Daisuke blinked and looked back at her starter. "Wait, you can hear the outside world while you're in there?"

"No." Scald grinned wickedly. "But I made you admit that you were laughing at me."

"Jerk." Teasing over, she knelt down to let him scramble up onto what was quickly becoming his preferred spot. "Come on. The sun is starting to set, and I want to get some dinner that WASN'T made in the Pokemon Center before we turn in."

Dai had just finished standing when the sound of running feet hit her. Before she had even finished turning to look, the source of said running slammed into her, sending her to the ground with a grunt and Scald flying a few feet.

This was just not her day.

"Oww..." The redhead hissed and winced, already feeling a few sore spots that would become bruises later on. It took her a few seconds longer to process the weight sprawled across her, and she opened her eyes, already gearing up for a good yelling session.

Her voice died in her throat as she came face to face with a boy around her age, his large brown eyes just as startled as her own gray ones. Brown hair in severe need of a proper cut drooped down to shadow part of his face, and overlarge Eevee ears flicked up from where they had been pinned down. A cursory glance told her the rest: About the same hieght and only a slightly heavier frame as herself (and thus downright scrawny by guy standards), worn down t-shirt and jeans, dirty sneakers, a trainer's backpack, and a fluffy Eevee tail poking out of a hole in the back of his pants.

All told, Dai's often squashed feminine side (it really was quite tiny at this point) squeed that the Pokemorph was probably the most adorable thing since kittens.

"Damien!" A yellow streak barreled into the back of the boy's head, earning a yelp from both teens as that made their foreheads smack together. "Get up already!"

Now nursing a possible mild concussion, Dai hissed as she managed to sit up, dislodging the other teen who was trying to pry a worried looking Pikachu off of one of his ears.

"Okay, WHAT is going on?" The pair froze, eyes wide, and Dai sighed as a shadow fell over her from behind. Of course.

"We are."

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Well, that's Chapter 3. It's shorter than I would like, and I'm not particuarly happy with it, but I wanted to get it over with and posted. You guys have had to wait long enough.

Next chapter, more elaboration on Pokemorphs and our first battle that ISN'T a cop-out!


End file.
